260 ON FEVERS AMONGST HORSES, CATTLE, ETC. 



convey the poison by their soiled wings and feet, and others, as 

 the gad-fly, which, having piercing probosces, first suck the juices 

 from dead carcases and afterwards insert the organ into the skin 

 of healthy animals. Where the disease suddenly appears at some 

 distance from the original spot, in hot seasons, it is not unlikely 

 this insect may have much to do with it. 



Hog cholera we believe to be an infectious disease, and there- 

 fore is propagated by the atmosphere, wdiich becomes charged 

 in the vicinity with the elements of the morbid poison. The 

 natural properties of the atmosphere, however, very much limit 

 this mode of conveyance, and where that fails over long dis- 

 tances, it is unquestionably very possible for the disease to be 

 conmiunicated by the clothes, hands, boots, &c., of those who go 

 from one to the other, likewise by fodder, infected styes, &;c. 

 Proper cleanliness and disinfection, however, readily puts an end 

 to this mode of propagation. The natural means are those which 

 first give rise to the disease, viz., sewage gases, admixture of 

 sewage matters with the food, and other causes which depress 

 the nervous system and pollute the blood. 



Allied Diseases in Man. — The annals of plagues and pestilences 

 in man and the lower animals are prolific in details which testify 

 of the existence of anthrax diseases from times most remote, and 

 also of their communicability to man. It would be impossible to 

 treat this part of the subject in an exhaustive manner within the 

 scope of a dissertation like the present ; therefore, we shall limit 

 the statements to those of general character. In continental 

 countries, anthrax diseases, known in France as "charbon," 

 " quartier," and " sang," and in Germany as " milzbrand," have 

 largely prevailed ; and by reason of the presence of the sj^ecial 

 causes, to a much greater degree than in our own country, they 

 have assumed the character of epizootics, committing frightful 

 havoc and proving deadly to mankind from direct inoculation. 

 From recent observations, it is lielieved that one of the fornitT-jf 

 anthrax in man, viz., malignant pustule, has been much more 

 common in Britain than has been supposed, the identity of 

 which, as stated by Dr Wm. Budd,* is satisfactorily proved by 

 the fact that the affection, as it appears in man, may be trans- 

 mitted to the animal by inoculation. The disease in man is 

 characterised by a redness of the skm at the point where contact 

 with the morbid poison was made. The appearances are first not 

 unlike those produced by a gnat, shortly followed by the forma- 

 tion of a small vesicle, and at a later period a gangrenous inflam- 

 mation sets in, which rapidly enlarges and spreads from the original 

 point, involving a larger area of tissue. The parts next become 

 hard and black, and are then dead. If cut with the knife no 

 pain is felt, and a creaking sound is emitted. Around the 

 * " British Medical Journal," 1863. 



